Artists - Ceramics

Tania Babb

porcelain on granite

Tania Babb was born in Zimbabwe in 1967. She studied graphic design at the Ruth Prowse School of Art in Cape Town in 1985, before becoming apprenticed to Barbara Jackson, the well-known ceramic sculptress, in 1986. Since then, Tania has taken part in group shows annually in South Africa, and has had work shown in UK, Germany, New Zealand and USA. Now a full-time ceramic sculptress based in Cape Town, Tania has opened her own gallery in Wynburg and is constantly developing new designs. Her work has a whimsical appeal and is highly collectable.

Ursula Dale

hand-painted glazed ceramic

Ursula Dale is the creative force behind Ursh Works Ceramics, a design studio specialising in hand-painted ceramics. In her own words; “we derive a great sense of pleasure, beginning with nothing and observing a beautiful piece of ceramic art emerging”. Her assistants are from the local community with a good grounding in ceramics and pottery. The results are decorative pieces with occasional additional adornment in the form of beads. But the beauty of her work is that it has a functional use as well as an aesthetic appeal, although Ursula does recommend hand-washing.

Pat Hayden

ceramic composition

Pat Hayden lives and works in Somerset West in the Cape region of South Africa. She has a higher diploma in Fine Art and has been a studio potter, supplying local galleries as well as exporting for 21 years. In addition, she has taught for the last 12 years from her studio.
“I love the process of Raku as the firing can be done in under one hour and one sees the result so much sooner. When the pottery is moved from the kiln to the damp sawdust, the glaze shrinks faster than the clay body and crazes. As the item cools down smoke lines are trapped in the clay body. The crazing is random and uncontrolled, resulting in interesting patterns”.

Dragana Jevtovic

hand-painted glazed ceramic

Dragana Jevtovic was born in Belgrade and moved to Cape Town in 1993. Shunning ready-made commercial products, she mixes her own paint, and every piece is uniquely decorated by free hand. Her acclaimed cobalt Blue Guinea Fowl design, inspired by Dutch and Chinese tradition and interpreted with a vision which owes much to her European heritage, depicts the quaint, indigenous African guinea fowl that abound in the gardens and parks of Cape Town. Her slip cast ceramics are stoneware fired to 1220’C and glazed with lead free transparent glaze, making her products oven proof, and microwave & dishwasher safe.

Karen Kotze

textural ceramic

Born in South Africa in 1980, Karen Kotze graduated with a BA in Fine Art from the University of Stellenbosch in 2002, before completing a Diploma in Education in 2006. For the last 10 years she has exhibited extensively in galleries throughout South Africa and in 2005 had work selected for the Korean Ceramic Biennale. In her own words, Karen says; “my work is inspired by the great diversity of crafts that is found in South Africa. After working extensively in the areas of weaving and beading my ceramic works became infused with these techniques. Each work explores the inherent pattern and order apparent in traditional craft techniques.”

Michelle Legg

smoke-fired ceramic

Michelle Legg is a talented and well know ceramicist in South Africa, with numerous qualifications and awards to her name. She now concentrates on her own work as well as teaches part time at the University of Johannesburg.

Shelley Maisel

hand-thrown ceramic

Shelley Maisel is a highly acclaimed South African ceramicist who has exhibited extensively throughout the country. Living in the arty community of Noordhoek on the Cape Peninsular, Shelley Maisel constantly explores new shapes and textures to advance her earthy range of organic ceramics. The materials, shapes and decorations of Shelley’s work not only portray her interests, but also reveal subliminal influences. The colour and texture of the clay and the hand-painted edges and circles embody the artistic expression of primitive cultures.
“My inspiration is drawn from many sources. I have always been influenced by African, Aboriginal, Pre-Colombian, Oceanic, American Indian and South American art. I find their use of colour, intricate design, symbols and elements of nature, both beautiful and fascinating. In turn I express my love for clay and colour through my work, using many elements of nature as inspiration.”
Shelley also forms her vessels by using the same clay hand-building techniques favoured by these cultures, namely coiling and pinching.

Hennie Meyer

ceramic sculpture

Hennie Meyer is a highly acclaimed South African ceramicist. From 1993 to the present day, his CV monitors his meteoric rise through the ceramic art world, his prowess being recognised by the countless awards he has received. He is now published in two books and has been awarded a medal at the Fifth World Ceramic Biennale in Korea. He has also been invited to the Ceramic Art London show held at the Royal College of Art for the last five consecutive years. Hennie has a passion for shape and form, and his strong signature style is balanced by intricate decorative detail. His work is completely unique, instantly recognisable and eminently collectable.

Heather Mills

etched porcelain

After graduating with a degree in ceramic design in 1998, Heather Mills worked in a pottery in Wales for a year, before returning to SA to set up her studio in Simonstown. Since then she has exhibited widely throughout South Africa, as well as in USA, Australia and Germany. Remaining focused on hand thrown ceramics, her work has been described as, “feminine, whimsical and exquisitely beautiful”. After skilfully throwing on the wheel, she cuts out shapes to leave a delicate and highly ornate filigree of white stoneware clay. She then coats the pieces with a white ceramic medium, and applies the sgraffito technique to create intricate, gentle and subtle carvings on the surface of each vessel. Heather is adamant about quality and integrity in her work and her finely crafted pieces embody her philosophy that earth, water, fire and passion bring life to her creations.

Vulisango Ndwandwa

coiled pit-fired ceramic

Born in the Transkei in 1980, Vulisango Ndwandwa has built up an impressive CV of work experience and training in the field of ceramics. This now makes him one of the most exciting and sought after talents in South Africa, with work in most major corporate and public collections. Most of his work is coiled, highly burnished and pit-fired. “I have a strong inclination towards coiling because of the level of involvement I have with the clay and the direction in which I can take the pot. However, the pots are fired in an uncontrolled environment and the smoking process plays its essential and unpredictable part. In the end, the pot is only made up of clay and smoke. I have recently become more involved with the surface and I am relentlessly searching for development that comes from repetition. Simple line and dot designs are applied to the pots and these areas are open to carbonisation. I am working towards the ideal and the most natural correlation of surface to form”.

Betsy Nield

porcelain paper clay

Betsy Nield worked in her mother’s pottery studio until she opened her own in 1983. A teacher as well as a ceramic artist, Betsy enjoys experimentation and working with new materials. Her current passion is porcelain paper clay which enables her to produce very delicate work. Her porcelain boxes represent re-used boxes stashed into the  back of a dark cupboard, containing our cherished mementos, and they have no colour because it is dark in a cupboard. The platters symbolise a vessel containing our memories such as the brain. And of course the leaves are our dreams and memories themselves; cherished and stored away or on display; some whole and strong, some fragile and broken. A leading light in the South African ceramic world, Betsy has numerous qualifications, awards and accolades to her name and has exhibited extensively both within South Africa and overseas.

Elvis Potina

baked clay ceramic

Elvis Potina was born in the Eastern Cape in 1977. In 2002 he started a ceramics course three days a week. In 2004 he received a scholarship to Boland College to gain further skills and technique in ceramics as well as entrepreneurship. Elvis is proud that his ceramic works reflect his Xhosa culture such as the pots often carried on the heads of Xhosa women, and black and white have become his signature colour ways. In 2006 he was best on show at the National Exhibition of ArtsCape and in 2007 he was involved with the 16 Master Crafters of Old Mutual, as well as being chosen as an icon by the Cape Craft & Design Institute. Now Elvis has his own stand at trade shows and is exhibiting in Germany.

Marinda Rossouw

clay baked ceramic

Marinda Rossouw was born in Zimbabwe in 1958 and her family emigrated to South Africa in the sixties. Living in Cape Town, she has been teaching since 1980 and works with six year olds, who “although they surely keep you busy, give you loads of entertainment!” The interest in pottery came to Marinda gradually. She started off with evening classes, “stopping and starting until the clay bug bit.” Like many beginner potters, her workspace involved shuffling cars around the garage to find a dark spot in the corner. Eventually she sold enough to build her own small studio. Marinda works in different clay types and mostly does decorative ware. She often leaves parts of her ceramics unglazed as she finds the clay appealing. Because she pots as a hobby, she does not repeat styles, preferring to move on to new ideas.

Chris Silverston

hand-painted glazed ceramic

The Potter’s Shop was started in 1986 by Chris Silverston. She then opened the Studio above in 1990, allowing resident artists to develop and experiment on site. It grew so much, they moved from the Studio in Kalk Bay to the Potters Workshop in Muizenburg, and they have recently upgraded again. There are presently seven artists painting in the Workshop and their work is sold through galleries all over South Africa and in USA. Vibrant colour is the signature statement from the Workshop, and, while each artist’s work is individual in style, they are united in their use of bold design and striking visuals.

Johan Swart

hand-thrown ceramic

Johan Swart studied ceramic design at the Free State Technikon in South Africa, before becoming a full time ceramic artist. Discovering that an additional source of income was required, he took to teaching ceramics to the deaf. This had a profound influence on him and made him further realise that good pottery is “felt” rather than “learnt”. After eight years, Johan moved on to teach at schools in Worcester and Stellenbosch, where clay was deemed to be less for therapy and more a medium for contemporary design. He finally got the chance to open a studio again and jumped at the chance to devote 100% of his time to expressing himself in his clay creativity. Johan alters firing techniques to create contrast in colour and texture, and he calls on modern and ancient influences, from the first and third worlds, to give balance to his designs.

Trayci Tompkins

smoke-fired ceramic

Trayci Tompkins’ work is an eclectic mix of South Africa’s cultural styles and influences by respected ceramic artist Trayci Tompkins herself and her creative Zulu-lulu team who work from their purpose built studio in the picturesque Natal Midlands. Together they produce an ever changing range of quirky stoneware functionals, smoke fired and raku glazed collectables and one-of-a-kind décor pieces. Collected the world over, by lovers of beautiful things, each piece is individually hand made and reflects the heart and soul of the maker. Their motto is;- “we love what we do and it shows” .

Pat White

raku-fired ceramic

The Porcupine Ceramic Studio was started by Patricia White, together with 3 staff members, early in 1994 in the courtyard of her home in Plettenberg Bay. Her husband put the world of computers behind him, joined Patricia, and together they moved the growing business to a farm, nestled at the base of the Outeniqua Mountains. The Porcupine studio grew organically, drawing staff from the surrounding areas, who were previously disadvantaged and unskilled. It now employs 24 people and produces a diverse range of ceramic artworks. Each piece is handcrafted, meticulously decorated and raku-fired, giving it individuality. They have now moved to their new spacious home at the Craggs

Linda Wilson

hand-painted ceramic

Linda Wilson is the Crazy Potter from Fouriesburg in the Eastern Free State of South Africa. She studied Ceramic Design at Wits Technikon and received her National Higher Diploma in 1996 before setting up her own ceramic studio. She now employs three local ladies, and all her functional ware is produced by slip- casting, a small batch production method that ensures each piece is identical in shape. The unusual shapes are all Linda’s own designs and unique to her pottery. Each piece is then individually hand decorated. Linda finds her inspiration from Art Nouveau patterns, nature and the textural influences of African art and the African landscape. The earthy colours and hues used on her pieces are a direct link to the environment in which she lives and works. Her work is all dishwasher, microwave and oven safe.

Theresa Wormser

hand-painted glazed ceramic

Theresa Wormser lives and works in the rural coastal village of Kommetjie, near Cape Point, South Africa. She draws her inspiration from nature, and her work reflects the shapes, textures and patterns of the environment along this unspoiled Atlantic coast line where she was raised. Made of durable high fired stoneware, her range of ceramics is both microwave and dishwasher proof. Earthy textured surfaces and a unique neutral wash combine nature with style, insuring these ceramics are timeless.

Erna Dry

hand-painted ceramic

Born in South Africa, but qualifying as a teacher in Bulawayo, self-taught artist Erna Dry and her husband John gave up their ‘city slicker’ lifestyle in Pretoria in 1998 and moved to Hermanus in the Cape to develop a dream. They now provide sustainable work for 14 local people with a flair for sophisticated ethnic sculpture.
Exquisite pieces of art are hand made out of slabs rolled from clay made in their own studio. The combination of oxide and glaze brings to life an organic material creating a durable and individual work of art in subtle shades of earthy colors. Each piece is overseen by Erna herself, whose exquisite drawing skills ensure that the original designs and final details are exceptional and unique.

Leko Masuku

hand-thrown ceramic

Leko Masuku is a young Swazi ceramicist who learnt her craft from her father. She now has her own outlet at the Mantenga Craft Centre, where she makes her ceramics at the back of the retail shop. Hands white with clay; quiet and unassuming, Leko has an eye for shape and subtly of colour which far exceeds her years or experience. The inspiration for the detail on some of her work, such as the cattle inscribed into the clay, comes from her rural surrounds and the simple life which still abounds in Swaziland.

Karen Sinovitch

hand-moulded and painted porcelain

Karen Sinovich is a well-known South African ceramic artist who has been working in clay since 1989.
She works primarily in porcelain using various handbuilding techniques and has taken part in numerous exhibitions countrywide and abroad.
In 2004 she was the recipient of the Premier National Arts Council Award for best piece on show at the Ceramics South Africa National Exhibiton.
Her work can be found in many permanent, corporate and private collections.
Karen finds her inspiration from her immediate surroundings – the ocean, beaches and rocks where all sorts of treasures can be found. Her work reflects the everchanging light on water and sand, and shells, boats and driftwood remind her of days spent at the seaside.
On each Sinovitch piece are two flying birds – a reference to the line from an old rhyme “two for joy” which is the wish Karen hopes the pieces will bring to their owners.

Wendy McLachlan

decorative glazed ceramics

Wendy McLachlan lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa. She was educated at the University of Cape Town, where she obtained a Master of Fine Art degree in 2001. Her thesis examined issues of mortality and loss, and of the small intimacies of the domestic routine. The home continues to be the arena in which her work operates; the low-key items of domesticity are looked at in a gentle, witty way. Thus she produces a functional range of “teatime ceramics and other delights” which play upon themes found in traditional bone china and upon the ritual of an English tea.
Wendy participates in numerous group shows, as well as exhibites at the Cape Town Design Indaba.